Method for decoating utilizing a heated fluidized bed



May 10, 1966 D; A. SERGENT METHOD FOR DECOATING UTILIZING A HEATED FLUIDIZED BED 2 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed June 5. 1962 aw' Ader" May 10, 1966 D. A. SERGENT 3,250,543

METHOD FOR DECOATING UTILIZING A HEATED FLUIDIZED BED Original Filed June 5. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 6 Claims. (Cl. 134-2) This application is a continuation of application number 200,259 filed June 5, 1962, now abandoned, by the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

This invention relates generally to a method for heat treating a durable body coated with a solid organic material. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for removing the organic material from a durable body having an external layer of the organic material thereon such as finished electrical parts including apparatus having wound insulated electrical conductors, encapsulated dynamo-electric parts, and the like, by direct heat treatment of the object. Specifically, the invention relates to heat treatment of the solid object in a lluidized bed at elevated temperatures until substantially all of the organic material has been removed.

The heat treatment of metal objects in a fluidized bed is shown, for example, in British Patent No. 732,101, which discloses a method and apparatus for modifying the structure and constitution of the metal wherein the body is immersed in a fluidized powdered or granular material at .a different temperature from that of the body for a sufcient period of time to transmit heat from the fiuidized material to the treated body. A fiuidizing medium which is inert to the body being treated at the operating temperatures, such as alumina, may be used to anneal aluminum, silicon alloys, and other metals.- The heating of the treated body is accomplished by conduction from contact with the heated fiuidized medium which, in turn, can be heated by heating the walls of the fluidizing chamber or employing immersion heaters in the uidizing medium of said chamber. The uidizing gas for suspending the bed of granular material inthe fluidizing chamber may itself be heated prior to introduction into the fluidizing chamber for the purpose of securing more uniform ternperature distribution throughout the depth of the fluidization bed.

Finished electrical parts are now heat treated in gas atmosphere furnaces to remove the organic insulation in windings, encapsulation, slot liners, etc. Many difficulties are experienced in this process, including warping of the finished part, incomplete removal of the organic material, loss of magnetic and anneal properties in the metal body, introduction of mechanical strain into the part, and change in dimensional tolerances of finished surfaces. Much of the undesirable effects produced in the conventional process can be attributed to uncontrolled combustion of the organic material which occurs in an erratic and sporadic fashion, further increasing the temperature of the metal part being heat treated above the ambient furnace temperature. This phenomena, commonly termed run away in the art, further accentuates the inherently uneven heat transfer occurring principally by radiation in a gas atmosphere furnace to such a degree that many parts require refinishing or are beyond repair after heat treatment. In addition to providing inadequate control of the combustion process during removal of the organic material from a solid body, the conventional method requires overly long heating periods which represents a waste of the heat transfer medium' andresulting higher cost for the process.

v3,250,643 Patented May 10, 1966 ice It has been discovered by the applicant' that organic material can be removed from a solid body by direct heat treatment in a fluidized bed without the disadvantages encountered in the conventional process. As a consequence, finished metal parts may be heat treated without substantial change in dimensional tolerances of a finished surface and withoutloss of the anneal lor magnetic properties. Ferrous alloys coated with organic material will actually obtain a blue anneal after treatment according to the invention Adue tor interaction between the organic material and the metal surface under the particular operating conditions of heating. Controlled combustion of the organic material occurs during heating due-to the presence of an inadequate supply of oxygen surrounding the body being treated from displacement by the fluidized particles. This condition prevents rapid oxidation, both of the organic material and the body being treated and greater control of the process is obtained lthan possible in the conventional method. More particularly, ordinary combustion of organic material is an exothermic reaction which becomes self-generating after inception so long as there remains an adequate supply of both the organic material and oxygen. In the present process, the amount of oxygen in contact with the object being heat treated can be controlled by the degree of iluidization to impart the novel advantages described.- v

The invention may be practiced in its preferred embodiments as hereinafter described,'taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which,

FIGURE l illustrates a cross sectional elevation View of one apparatus for heat treating a solid body according to the present invention;

' FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view, partially in cross section, illustrating still a different heat treating apparatus of the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 3.

Briefly, the method for treating a solid body coated with a solid organic material according to the invention comprises placing the coated body in a heated uidized bed, heating the coated body at elevated temperatures above the decomposition temperature of the organic material for a sutiicient time period to volatilize said organic material, and removing the treated body from the fluidized bed. If the solid object is heat treated in a normal oxygen containing atmosphere, such as air, the decomposition temperature of the particular organic material will ordinarily be the'temperature of combustion with removal being effected by formation of gaseous reaction products. On the other hand, it is known that some common organic insulating materials such as polymethylmethacrylate and polymonochlorotriuoroethylene can be heated up to the decomposition temperature in a neutral atmosphere such as nitrogen and vacuum to form volatiles without leaving carbonaceous residues.

One novel apparatus for heat treating a solid body according to the invention comprises ya fluidizing chamber defined by wall means including at least one porous wall member for admission of a fluidizing gas, a bed of granular material disposed in said chamber capable of suspension in a moving gas stream, heating means in heat trans-- surface of the vertical walls in the fluidizing chamber, there being means for passing the stream of lluidizing gas in heat transfer relationship with said heating means before introduction into the uidizing chamber. In another preferred embodiment, the heating means in heat transfer relationship with the iluidizing chamber comprises at least one gas burner disposed externally of said chamber and located so that the burner products of combustion impinge a chamber wall, there being provision for passing the stream of uidizing gas in heat transfer relationship with products of combustion emanating from the one or more burners.

In FIGURE l there is shown a cross section of a vertical heat treating apparatus 1 of the invention which comprises generally a iiuidizing chamber 2, having wall means 3 and 4 dening the chamber with wall member 4 being of porous character for admission of iluidizing gas, heating means 5 comprising a longitudinally extending hollow coil 6 axially disposed on the exterior of iluidizing chamber vertical Walls 3, annular passage means 7 for transmitting Huidizing gas in heat transfer relationship with the heating means before introduction into the liuidizing chamber and circulating means 8 which may consist of a simple blower 9 (not shown) connecting conduits 10 and 11 for passing a stream of uidizing gas through the annular passageway 7 and into the fiuidizing chamber. As part of the apparatus, there is Ialso included secondary heating means 12 disposed externally of the fluidizing chamber for further heating .the liuidizing gas after passage through bed of granular material 13 contained in said chamber. A convenient arrangement for the secondary heating means comprises a ring burner 14 located in the exhaust flue 1S of the apparatus. Principal heating means 5 is disposed in the apparatus to heat t-hefbedy of granular material in the fluidizing chamber by conduction through the vertical walls of the chamber -as well as to heat the liuidizing gas before introduction into the fluidizing chamber. The arrangement provides a simple method of minimizing temperature gradients in the uidizing chamber and, while not as eiiicient from heat transfer considerations as locating the heating means in the bed of granular material, it imparts other advantages in the practice of the invention. The presence of heating coils in the tluidizing chamber occasions possible mechanical shock from contact with the object being heat treated which may be of suicient bulk and weight to rupture one or more of the heating coils. Escape of heat exchange uid from a ruptured coil can produce undesirable reaction with the body being treated resulting in a nal rejection and loss of a large monetary sum if the rejected member is a complex nished part. Consequently, it is of considerable importance to maintain physical separation between heat exchange uids and the member being treated. Conventional heat exchange fluids may be employed in the practice of the invention which can transmit heat effectively at temperatures above the decomposition temperature of organic material, including gases, liquids, and even uidized solids.

The apparatus in FIGURE 1 is particularly adapted to remove synthetic organic insulation such as phenolaldehyde resin and epoxy resin from insulated electrical equipment, for example, motors, transformers, and the like, at elevated operating temperatures up to 1000o F. and higher so that the apparatus may be provided with a refractory housing 16 for maximum heating eiciency in the iluidizing chamber. The uidizing chamber itself may consist of a metal shell or ceramic retort which is provided with an exit passage 17 for the volatileproducts formed during operation. The ordinary decomposition products discharged from the fluidizing chamber during operation in an oxygen-containing atmosphere are volatile carbon-containing compounds of the organic lmaterial and reaction products of the original material with a limited supply of oxygen. The products generally issue Ias a dense smoke which are made to undergo further combustion at the secondary heating means 1 2 to substantially colorless, odorless gases that may now be discharged into the ambient surroundings without contributing to atmospheric pollution. A removable cover 1S provides means for loading and unloading the objects to be heat treated directly into the fluidizing chamber.

In operation, the apparatus of FIGURE 1 may first be heated to operating temperatures in the bed of granular material around SOO-1000G F., which is adequate for removal of the conventional phenol-aldehyde and epoxy resin materials used to insulate electrical conductors, transformers, windings, etc. The granular bed is heated by conduction through the walls of the iluidizing chamber from a suitable heat exchange fluid being passed through the coil surrounding the vertical walls of said chamber. A iiuidization gas is passed in contact with the heating coil and thereafter introduced into the liuidizing chamber for suspension of the granular material contained therein at flow rates, preferably, which will establish equilibrium temperature conditions throughout all portions of the fluidized bed. Equilibrium conditions of uidization may be achieved with air ow rates approximately 20G-400 standard cubic feet a minute in a iluidized bed having internal dimensions of 26 in. x 26 in. x 26 in. with the uidizing air being heated to approximately 700 F. before admission into mass of 60-70 mesh U.S. screen size mined silica sand maintained at approximately v 900 F. A typical body to be heat treated in accordance with the invention consists of a random wound electrical motor stator of approximately V5 H P. capacity, being of the four-pole, open drip-proof type with molded epoxy resin potted windings, is completely immersed in the iluidized bed at the operating temperatures for a period of Vapproximately 15-21 minutes and the ring burner ignited. After approximately 15 minutes of heating at the described conditions, all smoke hasI stopped emanating from the granular bed and the treated part is removed from the fluidized bed at the end of the heating cycle and transferred to a second uidized bed operating with air at ambient temperatures for a cooling cycle of approximately 30 minutes. The transfer period between lluidized beds is kept to a minimum of around 45 seconds in order to minimize warping of the treated lpart in the ambient atmosphere. Placing the heated member immediately in a second nidized chamber maintained at lower operating temperatures than the heat treating iuidized bed cools all portionsV of said member rapidly at a uniform rate. All surfaces of the cooling member are contacted with granular material at a relatively uniform temperature due to the rapid heat transfer achieved in a uidized bed so that uneven thermal gradients in localized portions of the member are avoided or greatly reduced. Examination of the treated member after removal from the quenching bed reveals no carbon deposits remaining in the lamination slots of the stator or oxidation of the ferrous metal surfaces. Micrometer measurements made on finished diameter surfaces of the treated member before and after heating are listed to illustrate the lack of dimensional change produced during the present process.

The almost complete yfreedom from dimensional change above demonstrated for the present process is surprising and not believed'obtainable by other conventional heat treating processes.

Like results were obtained with a commercial hermetic motor stator rated at H.P. and of the four-pole, 10.125 O.D. type, having the end windings insulated with cured phenol-aldehyde varnish. The stator was completely immersed in a uidized bed of the silica at an operating temperature of 900 F. for a period of approximately ten minutes. All smoke from the organic material stopped after approximately three and one-half minutes of the heating cycle. Visual observation of the treated member after a quench cycle as hereinbefore described did not locate any residual carbon deposits or oxidation of the ferrous metal surfaces. The characteristic blue anneal was produced by the heat treatment.

In FIGURE 2 there is shown a preferred porous bottom ywall member 19, for admitting uidizing gas into the fluidizing chamber of the vertical furnace apparatus shown in FIGURE 1. The diffusion wall member comprises generally, two structural grid members and 21 extending substantially across the entire horizontal cross .section of the tiuidizing chamber and which are spaced apart by one or more layers of commercial porous rebrick 22. The assembly of the grid elements and porous rebrick are bolted in face-to-face relationship to flange member 23, extending inwardly from the vertical walls 3 of the uidizing chamber by means of fastening studs 24 and nuts 25 in the manner shown. An asbestos gasket 26 or other suitable refractory sealing means is employed at the flange to prevent admission of the uidizing gas into the chamber except through the porous iirebrick diffusion plate. Spacer elements 27 are employed to take the mechanical load of the uidizing chamber including the weight of granular material and parts being heat treated which are transmitted through structural grid member 20 to prevent fracture of the structurally Weak brick'. Further mechanical support of the diffusion plate assembly may be provided with vertical supports 28, extending from the base of the apparatus to the underside of lower grid member Z1. A plenum chamber 29 is defined below the diffusion plate by the side walls of the fluidizing chamber and the base of the heat treating apparatus. In operation, fluidizing gas is introduced into the plenum chamber after passage in heat transfer relationship with the heating means along the sidewalls of the iiuidizing chamber. The heated uidizing gas is admitted to the plenum chamber through openings 30 therein, and passes upwardly through grid openings 31 in lower supporting grid member 21 from where it is diifused uniformly through the rebrick layer 22, and finally passes into the uidizing chamber through openings 32 in upper supporting grid member 20. While preference has been indicated for construction of the diffusing interlayer between the grid members from the refractory brick, it will be realized that alternate construction materials may be 'employed including refractory metal fibers, glass bers,

and the like.

In FIGURE 3 there is shown still a different preferred heat treating. apparatus of the invention which provides means for preheating the uidizing gas before admission into the uidizing chamber by passing a stream of the gas contained in an enclosed passageway in contact with gaseous combustion products from burners employed to heat the iiuidized chamber. The heattreating apparatus 34 comprises generally a vertical circular fluidizing chamber 35 containing a bed of the granular material 36, heating means 38, 39, and comprising gas burners disposed uniformly around the circumference of the lluidizing chamber in the outer shell 41 of the heat treating apparatus, passage means 42 defined by the annular space between the outer surface of the fluidizing chamber and inner surface of the outer shell, enclosed passageway 43 for transmitting a stream of fluidizing gas into the uidizing chamber and located in the annular passage 42 so as to be impinged by the gas burner flames and secondary heating means 44 outside of the fluidizing chamber for further heating'the uidizing gas after passage through the bed of granular material. Burners 38, 39, and 40 are supported in the apparatus so that heated products of combustion impinge directly on the fluidizing chamber sidewalls 45 in an overlapping manner thereby resulting in a relatively uniform pattern of heat distribution around the entire circumference of said fluidizing chamber. Conventional circulating means 46 (not shown), such `as a fan, pump, blower, etc., in communication with uidizing gas passageway 43 may be employed for transmission of the gas into plenum chamber 47 of the heat treating apparatus. After introduction into said plenum chamber, the preheated fluidizing gas is admitted to the fluidizing chamber by passage through porous bottom wall member 48 which may have the same type physical structure as already described. There is also included in the apparatus a top-loading cover member 49 to permit insertion and removal of the object being heat treated from the iluidiz'ing chamber. Flue arrangement 50 provides means for exhausting combustion products from the uidizing chamber to the ambient surroundings after passage through vent openings 51 and 52. Secondary heating means 44 may `again consist conveniently of a ring burner having conduit means to a source of fuel and oxygen-containing atmosphere (not shown). While fluidizing chamber 35 has been shown simply as a thin metal shell for simplicity of illustration, it will be realized V that construction of the member from refractory materials will produce comparable results. An insulating layer of refractory 53 is shown in the annular passage between the uidizing chamber and outer shell which communicates with the plenum chamber to illustrate one means for improving the efficiency of heat transfer in the apparatus.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation View of the heat treating apparatus in FIGURE 3 and is presented to even further amplify the specific structural details of said preferred embodiment. Consequently, the same numerical identication is employed in both figures for corresponding members. v

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that a novel method of removing organic material from a solid body has been provided which leaves undisturbed the more important physical characteristics of the base object. Additionally, various heat treatment apparatus have been shown which are particularly adaptedy for the novel process of the invention. Compared to the conventional process for stripping organic material from finished electrical parts,l the present process reduces the time for the operation from approximately ve hours to about twenty minutes. Additionally, it is now possible to strip 'epoxy insulated electrical parts according to the invention, whereas, conventional stripping by heat treatment in an ordinary gas atmosphere furnace leaves residual carbonaceous solid deposits on the treated parts.

It is not intended to limit the'present invention to the preferred embodiments above shown since certain modiications of the presentteachings canbe made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. For example, thermal and electrical insulation can be removed from solid objects according to the invention which are not entirely organic compositions and may not be even predominantly so. In illustration, conventional mica insulation in ake form which has been bonded into a unitary mass with shellac or other organic bindersis stripped efficiently from electric motor armatures by the cooperative action of heat and uidization under the hereinbefore described conditions. The mica akes after removal tend to lioat upon the surface of the uidized bed of granular material so as to be readily separable therefrom without much effort. Likewise, conventional glass wrap insulation comprising organic resin bonded glass fiber is completely removed from electrical parts with facility under comparable operating conditions as described for removal of coatings consisting entirely of an organic material. From these results, it will be obvious that a large' variety of coatings containing a major portion of inorganic material in the composition can be removed according to the invention so long as there is substantial organic material therein. In its broadest application, therefore, the present invention comprises a method for removing solid coatings containing an organic material by heating the coated object in a heated liuidized bed to temperatures at least above the decomposition temperature of the organic material in the coating.

lt is also not intended to limit the present invention to the specific operating conditions mentioned with respect to the above preferred embodiments. For eirample, fluid bed operating temperatures of 1200" F. have yielded even further improved results compared with lower operating temperatures around 1000 F. in the re-moval of magnet Wire insulation consisting of a commercial blend of polyvinyl formed with phenol-aldehyde resin and varnished `with a commercial acrylic wire enamel. Whereas the time period for removalot` a coating in the `above examples has been listed at -21 minutes, it will be obvious that process :time for a particular :given coating Will depend upon many factors including composition, amount of material Ibeing removed, location of the coating, temperature, weight and mass of the coated body, and other considerations. Still further, while preference has been indicated in the above embodiments for removing the coating in a iiuidized bed of granular material conductively heated through the fluidizing chamber walls by an external source yfor simplicity and e-ase of operation, other heating means are also contemplated. VFor example, `if the body to be treated is one which may be inductively heated such as ferrous metals, ferrous alloys, and the like, suitable heating for practice of the invention lmay be achieved with 'an induction beating coil located externally ci a ceramic retort employed as the fluidizing chamber. k

In view of the described modifications andstill others which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, it isl intended to limit the present invention, therefore, only to the scope of the following claims.

What yI claim as new and desire to secure Iby Letters Patent Yof the United States is:

1. A method lfor decoating a metal body having a coating containing an organic .material which comprises placing the body in a bed of 'granular material located in a iiuidizing chamber, covering the chamber, heating the chamber with heating means, introducing air into the iluidizing chamber at sutiicient velocity to suspend the granular material, heating the Vbody to a temperature above the decomposition temperature of the organic material :for a suliicient time period to combust substantially all of the organic material without alecting the material ofthe body, removing the treated body from the uidizing bed and placing the body in a cooling chamber at ambient temperatures to elect cooling of the body by transferring heat from the body to the cooling chamber.

2. A method for decoating a metal body having a coating containing an organic material which comprises placing the body in a bed of granular material located in :a iluidizing chamber, covering the chamber, heating the chamber Withheating means, utilizing the heating means to beat incoming air, introducing air into the iluidizing chamber at sullicient velocity to suspend the granular material, heating the body toa temperature above the decomposition temperature lof the organic material for a sucient time period to combust substantially all of the organic material without aiecting the material of the body, removing the treated body from the liuid-izing bed and placing the body in a cooling chamber at ambient temperatures to elect cooling of the body by transferring heatl from the body to the cooling chamber.

3. A method for decoating a metal body having a coating containing an organic material which comeprises placing the body in a bed of granular materiallocated ina iluiidizing chamber, covering the chamber, heating the S chamber with heating means, passing air so that a portion of the heat is transferred thereto from the heating means, introducing the air into the fluidizing chamber at sufficient Velocity to suspend the granular material, heating the body to a temperature above `the decomposition temperature of the organic material for a suliicient time period to combust substantially all of the organic material without affecting the material of the body, removing. the treated body from the iluidizing bed and placing the bodyin a cooling chamber at ambient temperatures to effect cooling of the body by transferring beat from the body to the cooling chamber.

4. A method for decoating a metal body having a coating containing an organic materialwhich comprises placing the body in a bed of granular material locatedin a fiuidizing chamber, covering the chamber, hea-ting the chamber .by` conduction with heating means, passing air in heat transfer relationship with the heating means, Iintroducing the, heated air into the fiuidizing chamber at suiiicient velocity to suspend the granular material, heating the body to a temperature above the decomposition temperature of, the organic material for a sulicient time :period to combust substantially iall of the organic material without affecting the material ofthe body, removing the treated body from the iiuidizing bed kand placing the body in aY cool-ing chamber at ambient temperatures to effect cooling of the body by transferring heat from the body to the cooling chamber.

5. A method for decoating an electrical conductorl having a coating containing yan organic material which comprises placing the conductor in a bed of granular ma- -terial locatedrin la nidizing chamber, covering the charnber, heating the chamber by conduction with external heating means,v4 passing air in heat transfer relationship with the heating means, introducing the heated Aair into the lluidiaing chamber :atp sutiicient velocity to suspend the granular material, .heating the conductor to a temperature above the decomposition temperature lof the organic material for a sufiicient time period to combust substantially all of the organic material without affecting the material ofthe conductor, removing .the treated conductor from the iluidizing bed and placing theconductor in a cooling chamber at ambient temperatures to effect cooling of the con-` ductor by transferring heat from the conductor to the cooling chamber.Y l

6. A method for decoating the conductors of electrical apparatus having Wound electrical conductors coated with organic insulation which comprises placing the apparatus in a bed of granular material located in a iiuidizing chamber, covering the chamber, heating the chamber by conduction with external heating means, passing air in heat transfer relationship With the heating means, introducing theY heated air into the iluidiaing chamber at suliicient velocity to suspend the granular material, heating the apparatus to a temperature above the Adecomposition temperature @of the organic material for a suiiicient time period to combust substantially all of the organic material, passing the gaseous products from the bed of granular material in contact with heating means disposed. physically apart from said bed of granular material for morecomplete combustion of the gaseous products, removingthe apparatus from the fluidized bed of granular material, and

plcaing the apparatus in a second -uidized bed at ambient temperatures before substantial cooling of the apparatus has taken place.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS MORRIS owoLK, Primary Examiner.

J. ZATARGA, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A METHOD FOR DECOATING A METAL BODY HAVING A COATING CONTAINING AN ORGANIC MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES PLACING THE BODY IN A BED OF GRANULAR MATERIAL LOCATED IN A FLUIDIZING CHAMBER, COVERING THE CHAMBER, HEATING THE CHAMBER WITH HEATING MEANS, INTRODUCING AIR INTO THE FLUIDIZING CHAMBER AT SUFFICIENT VELOCITY TO SUSPEND THE GRANULAR MATERIAL, HEATING THE BODY TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE OF THE ORGANIC MATERIAL FOR A SUFFICIENT TIME PERIOD TO COMBUST SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE ORGANIC MATERIAL WITHOUT AFFECTING THE MATERIAL OF THE BODY, REMOVING THE TREATED BODY FROM THE FLUIDIZING BED AND PLACING THE BODY IN A COOLING CHAMBER AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES TO EFFECT COOLING OF THE BODY BY TRANSFERRING HEAT FROM THE BODY TO THE COOLING CHAMBER. 